Raphael falls
by RosemaryJohnSherlock
Summary: A Raph/ OC story. Don't worry, she's cool. Raph and the turtles save a girl from getting mugged by the Purple Dragons. Instead of thanking them, she insists that she would've been fine on her own. Raph is doubtful, but they become friends anyway. Slight April/Donnie, rated T cause they fight stuff. 2012 universe, ONESHOT, Please Review/favorite if you like it


**Author's Note: Haven't done a finished one for Raph yet, so here you go. Raph/OC story, slightly April/Donnie.**

Raphael Falls

"This is stupid." Raph grumbled into his transmitter.

"Shh, keep the chatter down. We need to hear if they're planning something." Leo chastised his brother, and Raph let out a snort of derision.

"They're just Purple Dragons, it's not like they're smart." Raph hissed back.

"Just stay where you are and listen." Leo ordered. Raph fumed, but stayed where he was.

Raphael was currently an ominous looking blob next to what everyone else assumed was an abandoned building. He was dressed in an overlarge hat and baggy trench coat, rendering him shapeless and human to any stray passerby. Not that there were any.

The turtles wanted to pick up on any activity of the dragons that involved Shredder. Raph was pretty sure that the evil ninjitsu master had, like himself, realized that they were morons.

As he leaned against the building, he saw an interesting figure crossing under the only lit streetlamp. It was also sporting a baggy trench coat, and the figure kept its head down as it moved through the light. (Raph was assuming the figure was an it, considering his own current ensemble)

"Leo, tell Mikey to go back to the post. I don't need a babysitter." He growled into his com unit.

"Raph, we're all still at the post. Wait, what do you see?" Leo's interest perked.

"Someone moving suspiciously down the opposite street, wearing the same stupid getup I am. Considering that _I_ am a mutant turtle, I was curious as to who was hiding under the coat." Raph explained.

Just before the figure could reach the shadows again, the Purple Dragon members emerged. They greedily convulsed on the stranger.

"Oh shell." Raph muttered into the line.

Ever walked home from the match feeling nervous. Sure, it had seemed like a good plan: walk the measly four blocks from the gym to the subway alone…in New York City…at night. She had assured her mother that it wasn't far, and she had left out the alone part when she explained it.

Now the wind whistled ominously, for once not drowned out by traffic noises. The street was empty of activity. Most of her teammates had left earlier with their parents or in cabs. The breeze tugged at her long coat, which she pulled around herself protectively.

She had just finished a long gymnastics competition, and had been so tired that she hadn't wanted to change clothes. She only had her bag with her sneakers and some tape in it, and only a tight and not-quite-covering leotard. She had hoped that her father's old trench coat would keep her covered enough to avoid getting cold. Or noticed.

While she wasn't cold, she was certainly noticed, if the group of men closing in on her was any indication. She glanced up and down the street; none of the buildings had fire escapes that she could reach, and there wasn't anyone around who would hear a cry for help.

She gripped the pepper spray in the pocket of her coat (She wasn't a complete idiot), ready to unleash it if any of them got too close.

"Hey buddy!" The largest one called. "You know you gotta pay to be here?" He grinned wickedly, and his cronies chuckled. He pulled a switchblade free and idly flicked it back and forth.

"I don't have any money." Ever tried to make her voice sound masculine. The leader peered at her more closely. _Uh oh._

Suddenly, she was grabbed roughly from behind and the coat was pulled away from her. The icy wind stung her long, bare legs, but she didn't flinch. If she let them see her fear, she was pretty sure it would somehow get worse.

The men leaned in eagerly, malicious grins lighting their faces. Ever glared back defiantly.

"Oh _shell_." He said again. He had been expecting a mutant or at least a man. But a girl?

An attractive girl, by the look of it. Her legs were long and glowing in the moonlight, but Raph's eyes were locked on the face. Her hair was amazingly blond, pulled back from her face in a bun at the nape of her neck. He couldn't see her eye color from this distance, but he admired the glare she was shooting the purple dragons. It made him a tad fearful, and it wasn't even aimed at him.

"Alright, girly. We can come to an arrangement of some sort." His filthy gaze lighted on her neck.

"You give us that pretty pendent, and we'll let you walk away. Right, boys?" He called back. The men jeered and whistled. The girl clutched the orb hanging on a chain around her neck.

"Not going to happen." She said fiercely. It was at this point that Raph ditched his coat and stepped behind the gang of dragons.

"Don't you dopes know it's impolite unless you buy her dinner first?" Raphael watched them turn and stare at him in shock.

"We weren't doing nothin'." The leader stammered at the sight of the turtle. "Right, missy?" he questioned the girl.

Instead of the adoring look that heroes usually got, or the fear and disgust Raph usually got, the girl turned her defiant expression on him.

"I was fine." She said angrily. He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah right." He scoffed. The dragon leader took advantage of the turtle's distraction, snatching the girl around the shoulders and pushing the knife against her throat.

"Okay, here's how this works. We walk away, you let us. Then we let the lady go." The dragon said casually to the turtle. Raphael hoped that the others were getting their shells down here. He didn't do well with hostage situations.

The girl glanced at Raph, locking eyes. She jutted her chin ever so slightly up. He took a fighting stance and nodded at her.

She jerked her head back and slammed her skull into her captor's nose. He gave an unmanly shriek and released her. Raph cleared her a path through the remaining thugs and she ran to stand next to the turtle.

At this point Leo, Donnie, and Mikey sprung from the shadows and attacked the remaining dragons until they fled. The three then turned to Raph.

"You're lucky we showed up." Leo lectured.

"I could've handled it. I was just letting you help." Raph said breezily. Leo fumed, but Mikey interrupted.

"Uh, guys? I think this dudette needs some help too." Mikey crouched close to where the girl was kneeling on the ground clutching her skull.

"This is just fantastic, Raph. Couldn't you have kept your disguise on?" Leo yelled.

"I can't fight in that thing!" Raph countered.

"Didn't do much fighting without it either." He groused at his brother. Raphael clutched his sais in warning.

"Guys, focus." Donnie stepped between them, then gestured to where the girl still sat unmoving.

"Dudette, are you alright?" Mikey approached the girl cautiously. She uttered a string of nonsense that the child-like turtle didn't understand.

"Feisty. Hmm." Raphael said, earning a pointed look from Leo.

"Miss, we aren't going to hurt you." Donnie offered. She finally glanced up, meeting the tallest turtle's eyes.

"Can I please have my coat back?" Her voice was quiet.

"Oh, of course." Donnie was a bit flustered. Mutants weren't used to hearing please from humans, even ones that they saved.

Raphael picked it up, being the closest to it, and walked over to her. As she took it from him, she murmured a 'thank you' before standing up and gratefully putting it on again. Raphael noticed the drying blood in her hair.

"You're hurt." He mused, trying to inspect her more closely. She stumbled back before touching her hair to check. She winced, then gave a light laugh. She graced Raph with a genuine smile.

"Just a bump. The blood is from the other guy." She grinned in triumph and Raph found himself grinning back.

"Well," She looked to all four of them awkwardly. "Thank you. I'll be going then." She nodded to each of them in turn, her gaze lingering on Raphael. She stopped before gesturing to the street ahead of her.

"Would it be too much to ask for an escort home?" She joked. Raph heard the tiniest tremor of fear in her voice.

"Sure. Like they said, I haven't reached my quota for fighting today and you seem to attract trouble." He said confidently. She merely started walking down the dark sidewalk.

"Coming?"

Ever again wondered how she got into these messes. She had nearly just been robbed, or worse. Then, her saviors had turned out to be turtles. Large, talking ones.

"Only New York is this weird." She mused, and she whirled around upon hearing the turtle chuckle beside her.

"No, we're still too weird for this city. Most of the time." His green eyes looked at her meaningfully.

"You want to know why I'm not scared of you." She stated. Up close, she could really study him.

He wore a mask like the other three, but his was a flaming red. It contrasted nicely with his amazingly green eyes. His arms were muscular, showing that he had a kind of regular exercise that was preformed diligently. There was also the part where he was green and had a shell.

"I didn't get scared because of your opening line." She smiled a bit. "I figured a person that would buy a girl dinner before robbing her couldn't be all bad."

"You don't date much, do you?" He quipped. She shot him a mock glare.

"As I matter of fact, no, I don't. But only because I'm too busy training." She replied easily.

"Oh, me too." He shrugged easily.

"What do you train for?"

"To be a master ninja. Duh." He rolled his eyes. "You saw my fighting moves, it should be pretty obvious."

"I saw your friends come and save us, if that's what you mean." She smirked playfully, but the turtle shot her a hard glare through his mask. She wondered if she had gone too far.

"I could've taken those guys, I just _let_ my brothers have them." He huffed, then his expression changed. "I really shouldn't be telling you this. Believe it or not, we're supposed to be a secret."

"You don't seem like the type to follow rules anyway." She saw his features harden. "I won't tell anyone. I'd prefer not to be locked in a mental ward."

"Good. Cause we can take care of any threats if we have too." He said coldly.

"I'll keep that in mind." She added dryly, pretending as though his threat hadn't phased her.

"Here's my stop." She said, gesturing to the subway station. The turtle nodded and stood stoically, his hat and coat once again on. Ever watched the pedestrians enter the station, oblivious.

"Bye then." He grunted, and it was her turn to nod.

"Can I ask one more thing?" She whispered. The turtle waited for her to continue.

"Might I know the name of my hero?"

"Raphael."

Then the bulky figure turned and stalked off into the night.

"What do you mean, you lost it?" Shouted Donnie from his lab.

"I mean that it's not here, Don!" Raph growled back.

"That took me weeks to make! What happened to it?" The purple masked turtle pulled off his goggles and glared at his brother.

"I don't know!"

"I do!" Mikey piped up.

"If you mention hamster robots one more time, Mikey, I'm going to use your shell as a punching bag." Raph shot at his brother. Mikey looked hurt, and his lower lip jutted out in a pout.

"I was going to say that you switched coats with that nice girl the other day." Mikey muttered.

"What?" Chorused Donnie and Leo, just as April emerged from Donnie's lab.

"What girl?" She asked politely, wiping her hands on a rag.

"Raphael walked a girl home after we saved her from the Purple Dragons. He gave her the coat that had the transmitter, and kept her coat." Mikey hopped off the couch and ran over to the redhead.

"It's part of his secret plan to see her again." Mikey waggled his eye ridges and April laughed. Raph went red in the face, which his brothers assumed was anger.

"Mikey, you're about to lose a shell." Raph said as he launched to attack his brother. Mikey yelped and started running around the room.

"Raphael, you cannot spar with your brother now." Splinter entered the room, and all the teens stopped to offer respectful bows.

"You must retrieve the device. Tonight." Then the sensei returned to his room.

"You heard him. Gear up, guys." Leo commanded as he abandoned Space Heroes.

"Hello, we don't even know where it is." Raph added, trying to counteract the feeling of excitement rising I his chest. Since when was he interested in a stupid retrieval mission?

"It would take me a few hours to set up a tracking program, and even longer if the device is out of power." Donnie said, placing his goggles back on and heading towards the lab.

"Guys." April said. She had moved to investigate the trench coat hanging on a hook by the turnstiles.

"While we wait for Donnie, we should decide on a course of action." Leo said. Mikey raised his hand in the air and jumped up and down.

"Guys." April said more forcefully.

"Yes, Mikey?" Leo asked apprehensively.

"Can we take the Shell-Raiser?" He looked to Leonardo eagerly.

"Possibly, but probably not. We want to be stealthier than that." Leo replied, at which Mikey pouted again.

"Guys!" April shouted. Then Raph, Leo, and Mikey turned towards her, and Donnie popped out from his lab.

"What?" They questioned in unison.

"The address is written in the label." She replied.

"Right. We knew that." Leo rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Ever noticed something was off when she felt a cool breeze. It fluttered into her bathroom from her bedroom, and she peeked around the doorway.

"Hello?" She called cautiously, reaching for her phone. She pressed he 9 and the 1 and waited. There, a dark shape had just landed on the edge of the balcony. She tensed, her finger still on the 1, until she saw a flash of red.

She went the window and opened it the rest of the way.

"I don't recall good guys breaking into the rooms of under-age girls in the middle of the night being part of the archetype," she quipped into the night air.

"The window was open." The deep voice grunted.

"No it wasn't, but come in." She stepped back. Her room's size allowed two turtles to stand in the room and two to stay on the balcony.

"Sorry to burst in, uh…" Raph trailed off, shamefully realizing that he didn't know the girl's name.

"Ever." She finished. Raph and Donnie blinked in confusion.

"Ever?" Raph repeated skeptically.

"Yes, _Raphael_, my name is Ever." She mocked.

"She has a point, dude." Mikey called from his perch. Raph glared and Mikey smiled innocently at the angry turtle.

"Anyway," Donnie interrupted, "We need the coat from the other night. It accidentally got switched with yours and it has some technology that we'd like back."

"You mean the recording and communication devices?" She asked. Donnie nodded in a dumbstruck way.

"Sure, just let me get it." She left the room for a few seconds and returned with a freshly laundered trench coat.

"I noticed the gadgets when I went to wash it." She said sheepishly. Mikey peered in the window and saw a small flag waved at pep rallies.

"Woah, that's April's school too. Awesome." He added. Ever turned to him.

"April O'Neal?" She questioned. Mikey nodded enthusiastically.

"I know her. We were partners for a thing in gym class. I told her that she should try out for the gymnastics team. She had some pretty sweet moves." She matched Mikey's lopsided grin.

"Yeah, she's training with us." He said happily. His face suddenly lit up. "You could train with us too!"

"What, Mikey, are you crazy?" Leo whispered angrily.

"Oh, um, I'm all right. I couldn't be good at fighting. I'm just good at flips and tumbles and getting hurt." She gestured to the back of her skull.

"That's all Mikey's good at too, besides running and screaming." Raphael commented. Ever wondered what he meant. Was he _trying_ to hang out with her?

Mikey frowned and his eyes grew pleading. Ever sighed dramatically.

"I could come visit, but it might be awkward since I've only formerly met Raphael." She gestured to the imposing red-masked turtle.

"Oh, I'm Michelangelo, but I go by Mikey. That's Donatello in the purple, and Leonardo who thinks he's the boss of everyone is in blue." Ever returned Mikey's grin and laughed at the glare Leo shot his brother.

"You can come visit now that the introductions are over!" Mikey said excitedly, causing Ever to shush him.

"Alright, I'll come, Mikey. Just don't wake my mom." She said gently, and Mikey nodded eagerly. Ever glanced down and noticed her overly large t-shirt and drawstring shorts.

"After I change." She added, shooing the turtles to the balcony and closing the blinds.

"Ready." Ever called, opening the window and climbing out. Raph glanced at her.

Her hair was tied back in an elegant bun, making her clothes seem out of place. She wore tattered jeans with slashes in the knees that looked like they had been the result of a painful fall. Her shirt was long-sleeved in a muted dark blue that emphasized her brown eyes.

"What?" She questioned, noticing the turtle's staring. Raph turned away and motioned to the fire escape.

"We go by rooftop. Can you handle it, or do you need help?" he teased. She grinned defiantly.

"Try to keep up, turtle boy." She taunted, grabbing onto the ladder and nimbly hoisting herself to the roof of the building. Raph growled in frustration.

"This could be fun." Commented Leo, watching Raph scramble up after the girl.

As they leapt across the buildings, the turtles couldn't help noticing that their new friend was _somewhat_ more graceful than they were. Raphael stayed just slightly ahead of her the whole time, although she was hard on his heels.

When Ever finally got tired, Raph asked politely if he was keeping up alright. She aimed a spiteful glare at him. Donnie asked if she wanted to rest a bit.

"We're almost there." Leo said, "Someone might as well carry you." Raph didn't give Ever a chance to answer before he swept her into his arms. He jumped to the next roof while carrying her in a bridal hold.

"I was fine." She huffed. Raphael chuckled and Ever felt the vibrations through his chest.

"Where have I heard that before?" The turtle teased, which earned him the silent treatment the rest of the way to the lair.

When Raphael set her down near the manhole, he expected a comment about entering the sewers. He didn't get one from Ever; she merely ignored the hand he offered her and jumped down by herself.

"Whoa." She breathed when she reached the lair. It was big and well lit, which she hadn't been expecting at all.

"Pretty sweet, huh?" Mikey grinned at her, and she smiled back.

"Guys?" A female voice cried out.

"In here." Squeaked Donatello. From another doorway emerged a pretty red-haired girl with big blue eyes. Ever took in the girl's outfit and glanced at her own ratty jeans, embarrassed.

"Hi. Ever Daniels, right?" April stuck out a hand politely. Ever laughed nervously.

"Yeah, that one." Ever said. April looked at her in amazement.

"You're the head of the gymnastics team at school." She stated.

"You're a gymnast?" Leo questioned.

"Yes." She said flatly. "You guys just thought I wore that leotard for my health?" She said impishly. Raph tried not to picture the flattering outfit in his mind's eye.

"I get the feeling my presence is out of place." Splinter said upon entering.

"Sensei." The students replied in unison, leaving Ever to stand there awkwardly.

"Who is this?" He asked politely. Mikey was the first to offer an explanation.

"She's the girl we saved that Raph lost his coat to. We got it back from her and learned that she goes to school with April. You should see her flip, sensei, it's _awesome._" Mikey finished, taking a deep breath. Ever reddened slightly.

"An agile warrior?" The rat commented curiously. Ever shook her head.

"I don't like fighting. I'm more of a pacifist." She said, grinning shyly. She could tell the others had a lot of respect for this man, so she didn't want to offend.

"Lesson one: It is not about fighting; it is about unity with body and soul." He said wisely, throwing a pointed look at Raph, who looked like he was holding back an eye roll.

"Have fun, then." The rat said with a wink, leaving the teenagers alone.

"Come on, I'll give you a tour." Leo placed a hand lightly on her arm and guided her past the kitchen and the living room.

"And this is the dojo." He finished. Ever looked around in disbelief.

"Wow. You guys have a lot of space." She said in awe. Leo looked confused.

"What do you mean?" He asked, and Ever tried to cover her mistake.

"It's just big for New York is all. Most places are pretty small." She smiled, hoping the turtle would ignore her faulty logic.

"Do you want to spar?" Raph asked coolly, twirling his sais. Ever shook her head.

"I don't fight."

"Then what was bashing that creep's nose in?" He smirked.

"Evasive maneuvers." She snapped, and Raphael back-tracked a bit.

"You can just watch me pulverize Donnie then." He glanced at the purple-masked turtle, who sighed and reached for his staff. As the two took their places, April sat next to Ever, who looked faintly sick.

"Guys, you shouldn't do that anymore." April chastised the turtles after they had taken Ever home. They looked at her oddly from their places as they lounged on the couch.

"Do what?" Mikey asked innocently.

"You can't spar in front of her. She's really uncomfortable with it."

"What? Donnie didn't lose _that_ badly." Raphael picked at his teeth with his sais. Donnie shot him a glare.

"Raph, I'm not kidding. From what I hear, she's been through a lot." April responded.

"What do you mean?" Donnie looked to April curiously.

It was then that April launched into the stories that she had heard around the school. Ever had come from a broken home where her father had often beat her mother. When Ever had gotten older, she had stood up to him, and the man beat her nearly to death. It was then that her mother divorced her husband, taking Ever to start a new life in New York. Ever had managed to overcome her injuries to pursue gymnastics, but the cost brought the two-person family to near poverty.

"That's why she wore all the long clothes." Donnie said, recalling her earlier attire.

"And why she didn't want to be carried; she doesn't like being touched." Leo added. Raph just sat quietly, thinking.

"I'm going to bed." He muttered, before heading off to his room. He didn't fall asleep for a while, his thoughts too wrapped up in Ever's past.

Some weeks passed. The turtles got to know their new friend, from what she liked to do in her spare time to what she liked on her pizza.

She was the only one who could beat Mikey at video games at least three times in a row, but never more than that. She wasn't much help in the lab, but she filled in for April as lab assistant to Donnie whenever he asked. Leo found her a worthy opponent in debating Space Heroes with him; apparently, there was a book series based on it that was supposedly better. Raph found her a good companion at any time, really.

Eventually, she didn't mind watching him work with his sais. She even taught him some new techniques for faster and farther flips. He introduced her to Spike, who seemed a bit more interested in her than he was in anyone else. It might have been because she always brought him cherry tomatoes when she visited, but Raph liked seeing Spike enjoy the treats, so he never objected.

Ever was always happier with the turtles. They never gave her odd looks like many of the kids at school, and they never commented on her ratty attire. She found that she laughed easier, and she became bolder in her teasing. She had never been shy, but she enjoyed the feeling of being able to let her guard down and relax.

"Hey guys." She greeted the turtles cheerfully as she and April walked in. "Why the sad faces? Did the pizza not get here in fewer than thirty minutes?" She joked, but no one laughed. She exchanged an uneasy glance with April.

"We're trying to figure out a new way to spy on the Purple Dragons. Seems they finally got smarter and moved their meetings to public places that we can't possibly get into." Leo said in frustration.

"Can't you make a listening device, Donnie?" April asked. The tallest turtle shook his head.

"Too much interference." He muttered.

"What location is so impossible for you guys to sneak into?" Ever questioned in disbelief. The turtles looked a bit embarrassed until Mikey piped up.

"Some place called The Kave." He said in a confused voice. "I don't get it."

The two girls shared a look and burst into laughter. The turtles glared at them until they stopped, except for Mikey, who laughed despite not knowing the reason.

"The Purple Dragons moved there base of operations to a dance club?" Ever wheezed, out of breath. Leo nodded. April burst into laughter again, and Ever followed suit.

"It isn't that funny." Said Raph.

"Not at first, but it gets funnier…" April burst into laughter again. Ever immediately picked up on her friend's thought.

"When you imagine you guys trying to dance." She bent over and clutched her stomach. Leo and Donnie blushed, while Raph scowled and Mikey grinned, finally getting the joke.

"This is serious." Leo interrupted. "The music is too loud to use a bug, and we can't get in. It's impossible to tell what the dragons are planning now."

April grinned mischievously, a look that made Ever's suspicions rise. She hoped that she wasn't thinking that-

"Ever and I could go in and spy for you." April suggested. That was exactly what Ever had hoped to avoid. She groaned when Leo's eyes lit up excitedly.

"It's perfect! Donnie, can you start working on some more recording devices?" Leo suggested, and Donnie nodded before getting up to go to the lab.

"See if you can disguise them as jewelry." April called to him, and he scurried from the room after nodding, blush coating his cheeks.

"I don't think I like this idea." Ever said.

"Me either. It's too dangerous for you." Raph grunted, and Ever glared at him. His shell grew cold under her icy stare.

"You don't think I can protect myself?" She challenged, and Raphael took the bait.

"No, I don't. You shouldn't go." Raph snapped, and Ever turned to April.

"I'm in." She said, shooting a pointed look at Raph. Leo ignored the argument and began thinking aloud.

"We'll have two of us outside the building just in case, and the other two will be in the Shell-raiser, monitoring the audio feed. Is there anything else we need?"

"Think Donnie can manage some fake IDs?"

Raphael paced the dojo angrily. He was not at all comfortable with this plan. He kept thinking of all the ways it could go wrong. The dragons could recognize Ever, the girls could get separated, or they could get arrested. These thoughts made him sick, but they wouldn't go away.

"What's taking them so long?" Leo's eyes snapped open from his meditation impatiently. Just then, the two turtles heard arguing from the tunnel.

"I'm not going in there like this."

"Yes you are. You look fantastic."

"You're lying and I hate this. Wouldn't jeans work just-"

"No, Ever, they wouldn't. Now get in there." April said loudly, and the turtles heard a little exclamation of shock from Ever. The four gathered around the lair's entrance to an interesting sight.

Donnie took in April, a blush painting itself across his face all the while. She looked stunning in a green sleeveless top that brought out the red in her hair. Her eyes were covered in shimmery silver shadow, and shiny black leggings clung to her lower half. The purple masked turtle tried not to faint on the spot.

The other three gazed at Ever, who April had transformed into a sultry demon. Her dress was a sleeveless black number, with red beading around the jagged hem. Her lips were a bright scarlet, and her skin seemed to shimmer in the light. April had completed her friends look by adding red streaks to her hair, which she had forced her to wear down. It flowed down her back in a seamless waterfall.

"Did I do well or what?" April beamed at the three turtles still enchanted by their no longer tomboyish friend.

"Or what." Muttered Ever darkly. April winked at her before flicking her gaze to Raphael and back, causing Ever to blush.

Raphael was currently trying to think clearly, made impossible by Ever. It wasn't that she looked prettier this way, it was more like he noticed how pretty she had always been. He looked at her blond hair, made even more golden by the scarlet streaks. He took in her freckled shoulders. His gaze landed on the few visible scars along her arms and legs, but his gaze was quickly drawn again to her face. Her lips seem to be a magnet for his eyes, the red glinting at him tauntingly. He shook his head to clear it. What was he thinking? This was Ever.

Ever, the girl who was better at something than he was. Ever, who calmed his anger. The only person besides himself that Spike was overly fond of. He was roused form his daydreaming by Mikey.

"Ever! You're a knockout!" He yelled happily, causing Ever to redden and _giggle._ Raphael found the new sound oddly pleasant. Leo cleared his throat.

"You both look well prepared for the mission." He said, glancing at the floor. April laughed at his discomfort.

"Leo, you can say we look nice. Right, Donnie?" The red-head asked.

"Yeah…you look great, April." He stammered. "I'll go get the com devices." He ducked from the room as quickly as he could.

"What do you think, Raph?" Ever asked carefully, worried by her closest friend's silence.

"I think you looked fine before." Raph grunted. April frowned, but Ever gave a smile, surprising the turtle.

"Good. I much prefer jeans. I don't want to do this again." Ever said wearily. April huffed and went to grab the com units from Donnie. Ever took the opportunity to cross the room and stand next to Raph.

"Be glad you aren't a girl." Ever muttered. Raphael chuckled in amusement.

"I'm serious. You have no idea of the pain." She fidgeted uncomfortably. Raphael smirked slightly.

"I'm sure," was his sarcastic reply. Seeing her expression, he tried to make amends.

"I like your hair down, though. Especially these." He fingered a red streak, noting the softness of her hair.

"Yeah?" Ever said, suddenly feeling a bit breathless. Raphael nodded.

"They go well with your eyes." He said softly, not wanting Mikey or Leo to overhear. Those same eyes met Raphael's green ones and the two friends each wondered 'what if?' Until April walked back in.

"Come on, gorgeous, let's go dancing!" She pulled Ever towards the door. The girl glanced back at the four turtles, but made eye contact with Raph.

"Hurry up, slowpokes." She joked, and Raph pretended to get angry.

"How many times do I have to say it, just because we're turtles doesn't mean we aren't fast." He shouted, causing Ever to laugh on the way out of the lair, since this was often a point of discussion between her and Raph.

"Okay, this is for you, April." Donnie carefully placed a necklace with a concealed device around April's neck. "It has a hidden camera and audio recorder."

"Ever, your bracelet is just a communication and recording device, but it is more sensitive, so you have to get close. Will that be okay?" He asked carefully. Ever nodded.

"Here." Donnie pulled out the bracelet and took Ever's hand in his. Raph watched enviously as his brother slid the black bangle up along her hand, letting it rest on her slim wrist.

"Wow, Don, it's gorgeous. You should do this for a living." Ever joked. April laughed.

"Hey, I call dibs. I always get the best toys, right Donnie?" She batted her eyelashes at him coyly, and the purple masked turtle went slack-jawed. Then April laughed and told him that she was kidding. Donnie nodded and tried to hide his blush.

"Okay, here's the plan." Leo instructed. "Raph and Mikey will be watching the building from the roof opposite, and Donnie and I will be down the street in the van. We can hear you, but for us to talk to you, we'll call on the T-phones. Understood?" He asked, shooting Mikey a look. Everyone nodded.

"Good luck." Mikey called as the team split up.

April and Ever slid past the bouncer without a problem. The girls took in the dimly lit space, and the mass of bodies populating the dance floor.

"We could dance." April suggested. Ever looked at her in confusion, and her friend rolled her eyes.

"We have to keep up appearances. Afraid someone will get jealous?" She teased lightly, extracting a blush from her friend.

"How about drinks instead?" Ever suggested, gesturing to the bar before giving a pointed look at a booth filled with Purple Dragon members. Donnie had showed them photos of who to look for beforehand.

"Perfect." April left to buy drinks while Ever sat in the booth in front of the dragons. She relaxed, pretending to be mildly drunk and throwing her arms above her head. This left the bracelet just above the gang members.

"Here you go." April sat down, sipping her drink. Ever gave a shrug, trying to keep the device in place.

"So, are you going to tell him?" She asked, playing with her straw. At this, Ever sat up straight, her arms coming down on the table painfully.

_"__The plan is, Shredder wants us to help eliminate the turtles." One hissed._

_"__Yeah, but how?"_

_"__Well, see, it's like in all those movies. The heroes _always_ do the right thing. That's how we catch them." The leader paused._

_"__I don't get it." A third voice whined._

_"__Then shut up and pay attention. We just gotta get bait and then we have them."_

_"__What's the bait?" _

_"__We just pluck up a-"_

Donnie and Leo jumped as a large thump killed the transmission. Raph and Mikey heard it too, and clutched their heads in pain.

"What?" Ever's voice shook.

"I said, which one do you like? 'Cause we both know, but I think you should say it just in case." They heard April giggle.

"I don't know what you mean." Ever replied, and Raph was wondering what the heck they meant too.

"Well, I didn't dress you that way for your health." April's voice joked.

"We need to get Ever to move the bracelet again." Donnie said. "Leo, send her a message or something."

"I know, we're missing it." Leo said in frustration. "Can't they talk about boys any other time?"

On the roof, Mikey and Raph exchanged odd looks.

"April, shut up. Go and get a camera angle." Ever ordered, and the redhead left the table, smiling. Just then, she grabbed the blonde's wrist and pulled her to the dance floor. The turtles heard the loud music thump through the bracelet, but they could see the dragons from April's camera at least.

That was, until the camera angle tilted dangerously as April swayed back and forth, looking woozy.

"April, what's wrong?" They heard Ever say, and they heard a muffled attempt at speech from April before they could hear Ever talking into the bracelet directly.

"Donnie, help! April can barely stand, the dragons caught on and spiked her drink or something. I don't know what to do!" She panicked and Donnie reached for the T-phone to call.

"Just abort the mission. Walk her out of the club just like you would a friend who had too much to drink." Donnie was oddly calm in the face of April's danger.

"Okay, I can do that. I can do that, right?" Ever started to panic slightly. She could feel the music pounding around them, and suddenly the surrounding bodies were oppressively cutting off her air supply.

"You will be fine. I'm sending Mikey and Raph to meet you guys. Just start walking."

"Right." Ever said as she hung up. _One foot, other foot._

"Hey Evvvveeer," April slurred, "I know who you like."

"It's whom, April. And right now we have to go, so we can discuss this later." Ever said curtly. She would have cared that all the turtles were listening, if she hadn't spotted the Purple Dragon members slowly making their way across the club toward them.

Ever could spot the door now. She let out a thankful breath.

The bouncer gave her a curious glance as she left, making a move to help her support April's ever increasing weight.

"Thabk you, it's fine-" but she was cut off when he yanked April from her grasp. April protested feebly, while Ever tried to break the man's grip on her friend.

He shoved her hard into the waiting arms of the group of Purple Dragons that had just emerged.

"Now we got the perfect bait. Make sure to scream when you wake up." The overly tattooed man hissed as he slipped the rag over her mouth.

Raph streaked down the back alleyway of the club as fast as he could. He watched as Ever emerged, holding April up as best she could. He almost relaxed, until he saw the Purple Dragons emerge and signal to the bouncer. Then, having outnumbered the girls two to one, they easily loaded them into a nearby van.

"Dudes, pull the Shellraiser around!" Mikey yelled into the com device.

Raph's pulse pounded. For the first time in his life, his vision went red. His sais seemed to scream at him for blood as they sliced through the air. They wanted flesh to tear. He wanted to bring pain. It would have been slightly terrifying if it hadn't felt so _right._

"Follow them," was Leo's only remark once they were all inside.

April was the first to wake up. She blinked and looked around the decrepit warehouse. She tried not to roll her eyes at how cliché it was.

Ever groaned from her somewhere behind her.

April tried to turn and locate her friend, but her head hit the back of a chair she was tied in. Now the cliché was painful. If they started to monologue, she was going to-

"April?" Ever managed to croak out scanning the room for the redhead. Last thing she remembered was trying to protect her.

"Yeah, Ever, right here."

"April, is this what usually happens after people go dancing?"

"That they end up tied to chairs, back to back, in stupid warehouses? No, it's not."

"Good to know." Ever glanced down at the ropes. She could already see her skin being rubbed raw. She felt the bile rise in her throat. She tried not to think about it, but it seemed impossible. So she tried to distract herself by naming red things that she liked instead. _Christmas decorations, sneakers, twizzlers, apples, Raph's mask._

And as if her thought had brought him into being, she could see him in that rafters. His green eyes glinted. He raised a finger to his lips to signal her to keep quiet. She hoped her face conveyed enough of a 'well, duh' expression.

"Shouldn't we call the Shredder, now that the bait is set up?"

"No man, we gotta wait till the turtles actually come and save them."

"Won't they just leave then?"

"We call the Shredder as soon as they get here, idiot."

"Too late," came a snide voice from above. Leo, Mikey, and Raph dropped down and proceeded to teach the Purple Dragons not to mess with civilians again. Raph managed to restrain himself from hurting them too badly. Somewhat.

"Was dropping him out the window really necessary, Raph?"

"He'll live," Raph shrugged before adding, "Maybe."

"Are you guys alright?" Donnie asked as he untied them.

"Oh you know, just getting drugged and kidnapped all because clubs don't allow turtles. We should write to Congress about this." April quipped as Donnie worked on her ropes.

"I told you this was a bad idea, April," Ever muttered, shooting a glare at her high heels. This never would've happened in sneakers…

"Forgive me for making you look like a girl," was her sarcastic reply.

"You are forgiven," Ever said before she addressed Donnie. "Wouldn't it be faster to just cut them?"

"My thoughts exactly."

Ever looked up to find the green-eyed turtle once more in front of her. He crouched down and slowly moved his sais towards the ropes that trapped her wrists. His gaze met hers, asking if she was okay. She gave a slight nod.

Soon she was rushing across the rooftops, the smog-filled and starless night sky blurring above her. She didn't even protest being carried, just allowed Raph to carry her without complaint. She nuzzled her face into his plastron, grateful for the coolness.

"Are you guys alright?" Leo questioned at the debriefing.

"We're fine." April said, for the third time.

"I would like to point out that I am still in a dress." Ever added jokingly. Mikey smiled at her and Raph grunted. April threw up her hands in mock exasperation.

"If that is the most traumatic thing of the night, then you should be grateful." April muttered. Ever offered her friend a fond smile, until April couldn't help but laugh.

"Do you guys want us to walk you home?" Mikey asked.

"I told my mom I was sleeping over at April's," Ever shrugged. "So, I'm covered."

"Well, I live here." April gestured around. "Come on, I think you left a change of clothes in my room."

Ever jumped up and smiled, excited at the prospect of comfier and more covering clothes. Raph laughed.

"You look like a kid at Christmas, Ever."

Ever blushed a bit, but the smile remained on her face.

"Night, guys." She said, hugging each of the turtles in turn. She hugged Raph last, and placed a small kiss on his cheek.

She figured that she could blame it on the drugs in the morning.

Raph stood there blinking long after the girls had gone to bed. Donnie smirked lightly at his brother. Mikey clapped him on the back before dashing off to his own room. Leo chuckled before leaving as well.

The next morning, Ever in the kitchen, munching on breakfast. She had left the rest in the oven for the guys for when they came in later.

She stiffened slightly when Raph came up behind her.

"Morning," he said sleepily, moving to fill a plate for himself.

"Morning, Raph." She replied, relaxing. If he wasn't going to make it weird, that was fine by her. A bit disappointing that he didn't like her back, but-

"You need to work on your aim, by the way," he said.

"What?" She turned to look up at him when he swooped in, darn his ninja skills, and kissed her firmly on the lips.

When he pulled away, his grin faltered at the startled look on her face. His moment of internal panic thankfully ended when Ever gave him the widest smile he had ever seen from her.

"I'll work on it." Her eyes twinkled with mirth.

"Good."

Then she hopped up and kissed him again.

The moment was interrupted by the click and flash of a camera phone. Ever and Raph broke apart to find the youngest turtle holding the camera phone correctly for once, and grinning triumphantly.

"Guys! I won the bet. They do like each other!" He shouted, trying to wake up the whole dojo.

"Mikey, run." Raph glared at his brother.

"You can't hurt me, bro. Ever likes me, right Ever? Plus I've got this pic-"

"T-phone self-destruct." Ever grinned as the phone buzzed out and died. Mikey just smiled.

"I already sent everyone a copy."

Raph turned to her, raising an eye-ridge in question. He silently asked 'how much can I hurt him'. Ever shot him a mock glare and pinched her fingers close together in a 'this much' gesture. Raph pouted before nodding.

"I think it's time for another episode of 'Does Mikey Bend That Way?'"

"…I'll be going then," Mikey said before breaking into a run, with Raph in hot pursuit. But not before he gave Ever a kiss goodbye.


End file.
